Watersports physical simulation apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A miniature wave pool system includes a basin for holding water and surrounded and defined by one or more sidewalls. The basin includes a bottom surface that is contoured with at least one upward slope relative to a source of a water flow, to generate at least an appearance of a wave on which a miniature board or skis can be floated against and controlled by a user&#39;s fingers. The pool system further includes one or more pumps positioned under the upward slope that defines a compartment for the one or more pumps, the one or more pumps providing the water flow to generate the at least appearance of the wave. The pool system further includes a modular reef that is insertable into and removable from the basin to alter, configure, or arrange a desired bathymetry of the bottom surface of the basin.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/171,272, entitled “WATERSPORTS PHYSICAL SIMULATION APPARATUS AND METHOD” and filed Apr. 6, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

Watersports such as surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, and water skiing are activities that are typically performed in large, natural bodies of water such as the ocean or a lake. Recently, however, there have been developed numerous artificial, or man-made, venues for performing various watersports. For example, a number of wave pools have been developed in recent years, where a wave generator generates a sizeable wave in a pool to replicate natural ocean waves. These wave pools typically include a wave-generation mechanism, such as a foil that moves through a pool of water, or a hydraulic pump that pulses out wave energy into a pool of water. The waves generated in modern man-made wave parks can reach 4-6 feet in height, or more, and closely approximating the type of wave encountered in the natural environment.

Other artificial wave pools include a mechanism, such as a series of pumps, that direct a rapid flow of water along a surface of a shallow pool. The surface can be contoured with a bump or angled surface to simulate the surface face of a natural wave.

Whether performing a watersport such as surfing in a natural environment or in an artificial wave pool, there is a steep learning curve necessary to adequately perform the watersport, and consequently enjoy performing it. The learning process can be frustrating to an individual, but can also be dangerous given the propensity, for people of all skill levels, to fall or “wipe out.” Further, watersports can be very expensive, notwithstanding the cost of certain gear such as surfboards, wetsuits, leashes, fins, etc., but especially for artificial environments which demand huge amounts of power and other resources to be able to adequately replicate the natural environment, the costs for which are usually passed on to participants.

Yet another issue with watersports is continuous accessibility and desirability. The natural environment is subject to storms or other weather events, for example, which make performing a watersport difficult or dangerous. Or, on many days the natural conditions are just not suitable to performance of a watersport. Artificial environments do not really solve these problems, as they are currently limited in number, and require travel to and from a wave pool, for example, and typically need to be shared among a large number of participants. Another aspect of accessibility is that one must be in reasonable proximity to a body of moving water (natural or manmade), which makes participating in water sports that much more difficult.

In the case of surfing, when conditions are inadequate for a surfer to enjoy a session, that surfer will usually compensate by watching surf videos, or playing a video game. However, while visually appealing, these activities are devoid of human touch sensations, and a connection to the natural world.

SUMMARY

This document describes a miniature wave pool and accessories, such as miniature surfboard, paddleboard, water skis, boogie boards, skim boards, etc., that allows a user get the full experience of performing a watersport, such as surfing, and especially the touch sensation of surfing through their fingers.

A miniature wave pool system includes a basin for holding water and surrounded and defined by one or more sidewalls. The basin includes a bottom surface that is contoured with at least one upward slope relative to a source of a water flow, to generate at least an appearance of a wave on which a miniature board or skis can be floated against and controlled by a user's fingers. The pool system further includes one or more pumps positioned under the upward slope that defines a compartment for the one or more pumps, the one or more pumps providing the water flow to generate the at least appearance of the wave. The pool system further includes a modular reef that is insertable into and removable from the basin to alter, configure, or arrange a desired bathymetry of the bottom surface of the basin.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects will now be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a miniature wave pool and certain accessories and modular components;

FIG. 2A illustrates a modular reef for insertion into and connection with a basin bottom to generate a specific wave, and FIG. 2B illustrates modular components that can be attached at any of all four sides of the basin to change the look of the system to represent various real-world physical locations;

FIG. 3 shows a view of the system under the basin and including one or more pumps; and

FIGS. 4A-4D show various perspective views of the miniature wave pool system and components thereof.

FIG. 5 illustrates a base having a set of connectors for the basin and modular design components.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes a miniature wave pool system and apparatus, for a person to replicate a watersport activity such as surfing, using two fingers primarily. The wave pool includes a number of accessories, such as miniature surfboards, water skis, or standup paddleboards, boogie boards, skim boards, etc., for finger manipulation and control by a user. Other accessories can include modular components such as a miniature beach, deck, scoreboard or signage (which can be digital), a camera or phone mount, and other design features such as cabanas, huts, umbrellas, beach chairs, board racks, or the like, to simulate a natural environment, and as will be explained in further detail below and illustrated in the drawings.

While the system and apparatus is configured to allow a user to ride a board on a standing wave using their fingers, it also allows a user to become familiar with fundamentals of hydrodynamics and the basic, or even complex, maneuvers that can be performed on a wave. In other words, by sense of touch using one's fingers, a user can develop sensory memory and other skills that can later be adapted to the natural environment or even life-size man-made environment in which to perform such watersports.

FIG. 1 illustrates a miniature wave pool system 100, having a miniature wave pool and a number of accessories that allow a user to replicate either a natural wave environment or an artificial wave environment in which to perform one or more watersports. FIG. 1 illustrates the watersport of surfing, by way of example only, but those of skill in the art would recognize that the system 100 could be used to replicate other watersports, such as standup paddleboarding, water skiing, or the like.

The miniature wave pool includes a basin surrounded by one or more sidewalls. The basin includes a bottom surface that is contoured with at least one upward slope relative to a source of a water flow, such that when flowing water is directed up onto the upward slope, the effect appears to be a wave on which a miniature board or skis can be “ridden” or controlled by a user's fingers. The water flow is controlled by one or more pumps that are positioned under the upward slope, which creates a compartment for the pumps.

The pumps circulate the water in the basin by receiving water and pumping out the water at constant or variable speeds or velocity. Accordingly, the one or more pumps can be controlled by an external controller (not shown) to speed up or slow down the pump speed, or to execute an algorithm for a specific pump speed pattern over a duration of time. Thus, at a forward side of the basin is a water outlet, which can be in the form of one or more jets or nozzles, and at the back side of the basin is a water inlet, which can be in the form of one or more gutters, apertures, drains, inlets, catchments, or the like. Recaptured water by the inlet is then accelerated by the pumps to be expelled via the outlets.

The basin can include one or more receptacles for various accessories. For instance, an outer surface of a sidewall of the basin can receive a sticker or other graphic, which can represent a sponsor or brand, or any other type of graphic. The sidewall can also include a receptacle or interface for receiving a camera mount, which in turn can hold a camera or a smartphone for recording video or images of the activity in the basin. In some preferred exemplary implementations, the camera mount interface is located along a sidewall at the forward side of the basin, for a view to a face of the wave to capture a front view of the activity. In other implementations, the camera mount interface can be along either opposing side sidewalls parallel to the flow direction of the water, to be able to capture a side view of the activity. In still other implementations, the camera mount interface can extend above the basin to enable the camera or smartphone to capture a top view of the activity.

In still yet other implementations, the system can include two or more camera mount interfaces for multiple camera angle views of the activity. Such multiple captured views can be time stamped and synchronized, such as via an application running on a smartphone, for example. In this way, multiple different participants can use their respective cameras or smartphones to record imagery of the activity, and then later share, either synchronized or based on the time stamp, their recordings with their friends or other social contacts. Such sharing can also provide a gaming aspect of the system, whereby users can score the activity through the application, vote for their favorite activity (among multiple activities or sessions), or post to larger platforms such as Facebook® or Instagram® for other users' feedback. Accordingly, an online community or social network can be developed around the system 100 and its use by one or more users, or by multiple different users using multiple systems 100.

As stated above, the system 100 can include modular attachments to represent and or simulate one or more of, without limitation, a beach, a deck, a hut or cabana, a chair, a tree or shrub, a table, a board rack, and an scoreboard or other signage. Each of these modular attachments can be connected to the basin by a snap fit, aperture, hook, friction fit, male and female attachment mechanism, or other type of connection, attachment, or mount system.

While preferably a user “surfs” or otherwise controls a miniature board with their fingers, and preferably their index and middle fingers of one hand, the system 100 may also include small models, or dolls, of human figures or characters. For instance, these small models can be formed in a likeness, look, or suggestion of professional watersports athletes. These small models can also be formed with various features and characteristics that conform to attributes such as skill level, surfing style (i.e. shortboarder v. longboarder), strength, etc. The small models may be remote controlled figures as well.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modular reef that can be inserted into and removed from the basin to alter, configure, or arrange a desired bathymetry of the bottom of the basin. For instance, a gentle-sloping reef can be used to generate a gentle “fat” wave, while a more aggressive-sloping reef can be used to generate a steeper or even a barreling wave. In some implementations, a reef may be provided with internal bladders or air pockets for being able to modify the shape of the reef, and the resulting wave, over time and even during one session. The reef can be snap fit by tabs or pegs into the basin so as to inhibit coming apart from the bottom of the basin. In some implementations, a modular wave generator can be attached to and removed from a side of the basin, to produce lateral wave energy toward the opposite side of the basin.

FIG. 2B illustrates modular components that can be attached at any of all four sides of the basin to change the look of the system to represent various real-world physical locations, such as iconic spots like the Maldives, Teahupoo, Pipeline, Jaws, Nazare, Mavericks, etc.

FIG. 3 shows a view of the system under the basin and including one or more pumps. Each pump receives water in a back side, and pumps and accelerates the received water out of a front side, in order to provide a water flow across the bottom of the basin (and over any modular or fixed reef) from a front side of the system to a back side of the system. The pumps can be variable speed pumps, and which can be controlled to variable speeds by a remote controller, or the like. For instance, the remote controller can in turn be controlled by an app on a smartphone, or by a control interface integrated with or attached to the system 100. The pumps can be surrounded with various passive flow control devices such as vanes, baffles, channels, fins, or the like. These passive flow control devices can be used to smooth the flow of water and prevent turbulence, to ensure uniform flow across the basin, and/or to direct water flow to a particular direction or region of the basin. The system 100 can further include one or more active flow control devices, such as vanes, baffles, channels, fins, or the like, which can be moved, turned or rotated under control a mechanical controller.

FIGS. 4A-4D show various perspective views of a miniature wave pool system or components thereof. FIGS. 4A and 4C are perspective views from the front of the miniature wave pool, showing the contoured bottom of the basin in particular, which, when water is directed up and over the contour or reef, forms a wave for a user to simulate watersports moves, such as surfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, standup paddleboarding, or the like. FIG. 4B is a top-down perspective view of a miniature wave pool, showing in more detail several modular attachments to the basin, including, but not limited to, an area that represents a beach, and which can receive sand for realistic effect, and a deck that resembles a wooden pier or boardwalk. The deck can be configured with a surfboard rack or other surfboard storage mechanism.

FIG. 5 illustrates a base having a set of connectors for the basin and modular design components.

In some implementations, together or independent of the miniature wave pool system, implementations of the current subject matter can include a watersports board shaping and manufacturing kit. Such a kit can include an unshapen block of foam, one or more tools that can be used to cut, sand or shape the block of foam into a board shape. The kit can include various templates for shaping the block of foam, such as a “fish” shape, a longboard shape, a shortboard shape, and the like. The kit can also include materials to color and/or hot coat the shaped block of foam, as well as create a solid barrier or shell, such as fiberglass or other protective coating.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. Other embodiments may be within the scope of the following claims. 

1. A miniature wave pool system, comprising: a basin for holding water and surrounded and defined by one or more sidewalls, the basin including a bottom surface that is contoured with at least one upward slope relative to a source of a water flow, to generate at least an appearance of a wave on which a miniature board or skis can be floated against and controlled by a user's fingers; one or more pumps positioned under the upward slope that defines a compartment for the one or more pumps, the one or more pumps providing the water flow to generate the at least appearance of the wave; and a modular reef that is insertable into and removable from the basin to alter, configure, or arrange a desired bathymetry of the bottom surface of the basin.
 2. The miniature wave pool system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising one or more receptacles positioned around the basin for receiving one or more modular components.
 3. The miniature wave pool system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the one or more modular components includes a camera mount. 